That One Boy's Twin
by LordLenne
Summary: The stories of the events between Claus and Ninten while Lucas was with Ness. ClausXNinten, shounen-ai/yaoi. Splendid fanart cover by the great Memorii Makiko!
1. Ninten's Clinginess

**Lenne:** Hiya everyone! Meet Claus' POV of TOB!

Sorry, you all were probably expecting the sequel, RWTOB (Don't worry, first chapter is coming soon.) And if you don't know what that stands for, you should check my profile for future stories.

Anyways, this multi-chapter set, will cover Claus' POV and the important pieces from TOB that conveys how his relationship with Ninten grows. I don't plan to make this like 21 chapters long, I'm only going to take important parts of where he interacts with Ninten. Overall this story may just take at least 5 or 6 chapters.

Why am I doing this? For the ClausXNinten lovers, and so I don't just leave them as a side pairing.

When will I finish this? Hopefully before the Chapter 2 or 3 of RWTOB. At some point after getting far in RWTOB I have to make RWTOBT too, so that there's a balance of NxL and CxNi for everyone.

Anyways, let's begin.

And if you're confused here, we start off when Lucas and Claus split during school to go to their separate classes, around the beginning of Chapter 4 in TOB.

* * *

Chapter 1: Ninten's Clinginess

After Tech Systems class, my next destination was Choir. Singing would be a new feel for me, even though I admit that I sometimes sing out loud to myself when I think of my favorite songs. However, I've never used my voice to entertain others, so it would definitely feel very strange for me at first.

Choir was a better choice for me anyways—I would have failed Art class, slack off in Spanish class, and most likely be terrible in Theater, even though I was good at pretending to be sick.

As I exited out the door, I watched a large amount of girls exit from the door on my left. Reading the room label on the wall, it read "A282 Choir." How convenient that the class was just across from mine.

When the girls cleared out of the room, I was the first boy to enter. The first thing I saw was a huge platform that elevated in three sets—I believe they were called risers. They faced east of the room, as well as facing a man and a woman talking to each other by a piano. When they caught a glimpse of me, their conversation stopped.

"Oh, hello," said the woman.

"Hi," I replied.

"Are you new here?" asked the man. I nodded. "What's your name?"

"Claus," I answered.

"Getting a new student on the last month of school...that's rare," commented the woman.

The man looked at her, and then back to me. "Well, I'm Mr. Richards, and this is Mrs. Nores," he stated. "For now..." he looked at the risers, "...just take a seat right there on the second level." He pointed to the middle section of the risers. I did as told and sat down. I watched Mrs. Nores go back to the two desks farther ahead in the room, grab an item, and then enter a small building nearby.

"So Claus," began Mr. Richards, "do you have any experience in choir?"

"Um...not really," I replied.

"Do you like singing?" he asked.

"Well, I like to sing to myself," I answered.

"I see," he commented. "Well, this period is the boys' choir, and it's a lot of people so it may take time for you to adjust with everyone until the end of the school. For today, I'm gonna grab you later so we can go test your voice and see if you sing high or low, okay?"

I nodded, "Okay."

I sat here for the rest of the moment as new boys began to enter the room on my right. They caught me in their sight, checking who I was or if they could remember me. Soon, the room began to fill with more boys sitting on the risers. None were able to recognize my appearance, except for two people.

"Clausy!" I heard.

_Oh no._

Immediately, he tackled me while I sat and knocked me over. My reacting yelp caught everyone's attention.

"...Ninten, what're you doing?" I heard another boy say.

"Hugging Clausy," he replied.

"I told you, it's not Clausy!" I responded.

Everyone was laughing at us at that point. My face flushed a faint pink as I pushed Ninten off of me. I acted calm and returned to my upright sitting position. Then, I met that one boy's face. I think Ninten told me who he was. I believe his name was Ness. He was staring at me curiously.

"...What?" I said.

"Sorry, you look like someone I met this morning," he said.

"Oh, okay." He must be talking about bumping into Lucas. No doubt he would have thought that, since we both were twins.

Speaking of twins, now that I took a good look at his face, he looked kind of like Ninten. Similar black hairstyle, and somewhat similar face. Now, if only their personalities matched...

As I pondered, he walked past my me and sat on the third level of the risers.

"Clausy, Clausy," Ninten called.

"It's Claus!" I responded. I flicked his forehead, and he reacted with a "wah!"

"That hurt!" he cried.

"Call me 'Clausy' and I'll do it again," I threatened.

"Clausy!" he happily responded. I reached for him but he backed away, giggling.

"Just go to your seat," I said.

"But my seat is right here," he replied. He sat down, next to me, smiling like a child.

I groaned._ I can't believe I'm going to be stuck with him._


	2. Ninten's Shyness

**Lenne**: And here is yet another chapter of TOBT! Hopefully I finish soon, so I can get to work on RWTOB and RWTOBT~

So, here, we start off at the morning of Chapter 10, when Lucas already left to go see Ness.

* * *

Chapter 2: Ninten's Shyness_  
_

_"Poke, poke._"

_Go away, Lucas._

_"Poke, poke."_

_Okay, it's Mom. Go away Mom._

"_Clausy, wake up~"_

_Mom, it's not Clausy, it's...wait..._

...

I opened my eyes immediately and sat up, finding Ninten sitting on the bed right beside me.

"Ninten?!"

"Morning Clausy!" he said.

"What're you doing here?!" I responded, almost about to push him off. "And it's not Clausy!"

"I came to spend the day with you," he said.

I groaned. "Okay, why?"

"So we can be closer together!" he said, grabbing my arm. I shrugged him off and sighed.

"How'd you even get in here?" I questioned.

"Your mom let me in," he replied.

"...That's it?" I commented. "...Whatever."

"Aw, are you mad at me Clausy?" he asked, poking me.

"Yes." I attempted to slip out of my bed, but covered my lower area with my blanket, realizing the usual morning for every male.

"Why's that?"

"Because you ruined a good dream."

_...As well as a good day._

"Can we play today though~?" he sang.

His innocent face repeatedly asked me the same question every half second as he stared at me. I tried to turn my head away, but after looking back, all he did was lean his head closer.

"Only for a few hours, then I got homework to do," I lied.

"Okay!" he responded.

After all that, he sat there, just watching me. I couldn't get up right now.

Not with what was going on down t_here_.

"Could you wait for me downstairs?" I finally asked.

"Sure," he said. He hopped off the bed and skipped out of the room. When the door was closed, I made a rush to grab my towel and then head for the bathroom. I used the toilet, brushed my teeth, washed my face and dried it, and then exited. Once reentering my room, I rummaged through my closet to look for new clothes. Ignoring the mess of toys and sports gear, I found the clothes I wanted and began undressing.

"Clausy, do you have—" Ninten barged into the room, He stopped after seeing that I lowered my pajama pants and underwear together, obtaining a good look at my backside.

I threw a soccer ball at his head, and he was knocked over. Then I quickly put on new underwear and brown shorts, along with my favorite striped shirt.

"Ow, Clausy..." Ninten groaned. He sat up, but I walked over, lowered myself and poked his head.

"I told you, it's _Claus_, not _Clausy_," I firmly stated.

"But, your name is more fun when it's Clausy," he responded.

I exhaled heavily yet again. "Whatever. So what do you wanna do today?"

"Hm," he took a good look at me. He measured the distance between us. "Can we make out?"

"Hell no!"

After I slapped him lightly for that suggestion, we ended up playing video games downstairs. We played "Maria Cart" because Ninten wanted to, then I boasted that I was a pro. After losing six races, I quit and chose a different game. I chose my favorite, "First Fantasy: Crystal Stories," of which I was already strong in, and for some reason, I liked showing Ninten how to play and what to do in the game. He took much interest in the game, and we continued playing together. Somehow, for the past two hours, we were already halfway through the game, then Ninten said he wanted to play this game another time for when we can finish it together.

"So now what?" I asked.

"Can we go swimming?" he suggested.

"Do you have a swimsuit?" I questioned.

"No. ...Could I borrow one?"

I rolled my eyes subtly, "I'll go look for one."

I went back to my room and grabbed the spare, blue and yellow swimsuit that I had. It was in slightly smaller size, but my small growth prohibited me from wearing it any longer. I brought it to Ninten, and he changed in the bathroom while I changed into my swimsuit. Once I finished, I waited for him across the door, leaning against the wall.

When he slowly came out of the bathroom, he had his arms wrapped covering his stomach and looked down. He was like Lucas at a younger age when we were preparing to swim at the public pool in Tazmilly. His faint blush told me that he wasn't comfortable showing more skin than usual.

"How do I look?" Ninten softly asked.

Cute, I thought.

Wait... what?

"Y-You look okay," I managed to say. I hope I didn't say what I thought out loud.

"Thanks," he replied.

"All right, let's go," I stated. I walked past him, but then he grabbed my wrist.

"Wait, Clausy—er..._Claus_," he said.

He called me by my real name. I already knew that was not normal.

"What is it?" I responded.

"Um..." he looked down, as if embarrassed. "C-Could you teach me how to float?"

"...Float?" I looked at him curiously. "As in, floating in the water?"

He nodded. "I'm bad at it, so whenever I go swimming I have to use a floatie or something."

"But it's easy," I stated. "All you gotta do is keep moving your arms and legs."

"But I don't know how; I keep panicking." He clutched my wrist a little tighter, as if insisting me to teach him.

"All right, I'll teach you then." His confidence grew a little bigger, then we walked down to the pool together. As we reached the water, I dipped my toe to check the temperature. Since the sun was somewhat sunny today, the pool was mildly warm—a perfect outdoor temperature.

Before going in, I grabbed a floatation noodle and threw it in the pool. Then, I jumped in, making a splash.

I looked for Ninten; he was standing by the stairs of the pool, still unsure of whether to step in. I assured him that I'll keep him afloat. I grabbed the noodle and brought it closer to him as he stepped in. The moment most of his body was submerged in the water, he quickly grabbed onto the noodle, frowning at his crutch.

"Okay, so if you're going to learn, you don't need this for now." I took the float away from him. He stood steadily as the water only stopped at his shoulders but then he tiptoed, feeling that his head might somehow sink.

We stayed in the shallow part of the pool. I taught Ninten how to move his arms when idle, and then how to move his legs. He learned quickly, and was then tested to use the movement together. After that, the real test arrived as we went into a deeper part of the pool. I took the noodle with us just in case, and then watched Ninten attempt to float.

"You're doing good," I encouraged. And he actually did. His face still showed a moment of panic, but after realizing he wasn't sinking, he stayed afloat.

"Oh my goodness!" Ninten exclaimed. "I'm floating!"

I chuckled at his surprise. I approached him slowly.

Then, he made a quick whimper. He kicked his legs too fast so that they collided, and his rhythm of body movement was lost. His head started to sink. When I realized it, I hurried closer, but his panic of movement quickly ascended him. Instead of reaching for the nearby noodle, he grabbed onto me. He was breathing heavily, but his faced looked like as if he was trying to calm himself immediately.

"Whoa, easy there," I said. I kept us afloat as Ninten still hung onto me, not wanting to let go until his breathing calmed.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

He didn't reply. Instead, he grabbed the noodle nearby and kicked his feet to propel forward to the shallow part of the pool. He reached the stairs and sat down.

I swam closer and sat down with him. His face showed a bit of sadness—something I didn't expect from a cheery boy.

"I'm sorry, Claus," he said.

"For what?"

"...For wasting your time teaching me how to float."

I frowned, "Hey, it's okay. I don't really mind."

He lifted his head up, "Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, a lot of people have trouble swimming. Lucas had a little trouble with it too, but I taught him and he got it easily. You just need a little more practice."

"...Okay," he said. He sat there, looking down at the water.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

"Yeah, I just feel tired." He stepped up and went to grab his towel.

"Done swimming?" I asked as I got out with him.

He ignored me, drying his body and wrapped his towel around him. "I'm gonna go home."

For some reason, my mind acted on its own. "Really? You sure?"

"Yeah, my mom said to come home the moment I felt tired."

"Why's that?"

"..." He didn't answer and walked into the house.

I followed him upstairs until he went into the bathroom. As he changed and dried off, I did the same, only more quickly so that I could meet with him when he finished.

He exited the bathroom and went downstairs with me. When I opened the door for him, he stopped.

"I'll see you later," he said.

I watched him take slow steps out the door as Boney came inside, wandering around me. His movement made me worry. I felt like he wouldn't make it back okay.

"Wait," I called. He turned around. "Want me to walk you back?"

His eyes widened. "Sure," he said.

I grabbed my tennis shoes and put them on quickly, then I walked down the street with Ninten. Boney also decided to follow along.

The walk was silent between us, other than the giggles Ninten made from watching Boney purposely trip over. Unexpectingly, Ninten spoke.

"So, why did you want to walk me home?"

I looked away. "I just thought you wouldn't make it back okay."

He looked at me curiously, then he smiled. "I see."

For some reason, my face turned pink after that. I turned my head away. "Don't get the wrong idea—it's not because I wanted to, okay?"

"All right~" Ninten sang.

We made it to Ninten's house, and I was surprised to find out he lived on the same street as us. Before he went towards the door, he turned to me.

"Thanks, _Clausy_," he said.

I grinned, flicking his forehead lightly. "What did I already tell you?"

Ninten touched his head and giggled. He turned around and headed for his home.

"See you later," I called as he opened the door.

He turned to me again and waved. Then, he hid himself in his house and closed the door.

I sighed heavily, again. As I walked back with Boney, I kept pondering, why was I doing this? Just, why? I don't normally walk people back to their homes. If it was a girl, I'd probably do it.

But _Ninten_?

"...Boney, do you think Ninten is cute?" I asked him.

...What the hell did I just say.

He tilted his head, having the same question. _"Cute? Did you say cute?"_

"Never mind," I said.

I still couldn't get over the thought even after I got home and went to play online games on my laptop. The image of him kept appearing in my mind, and sometimes during the games I played.

...Am I seriously falling in love with that one boy or something?

* * *

**Lenne**: Tsundere Claus? LET'S DO ITTTT—*getsshot*


	3. Ninten's Playfulness

**Lenne**: Finally, TOBT gets its next chapter! Hopefully I get the next done too. Although it might be short in the end, at least it'll be an advance.

Well, enjoy.

Tip: We start off at Ch14 of TOB.

* * *

Chapter 3: Ninten's Playfulness

Lucas and I asked Mom and Dad if we could go with Ness and Ninten together for the party. They allowed us to go once we had promised to behave ourselves.

No problem for us, I thought.

On the morning of May 26th, Ness and his mom arrived. With our invites in hand, as well as our swimsuits and towels, we got into the car. I sat in the middle seat in the back, meeting Ninten by being poked. I poked him back, then he retorted and poked my head. We played like this for a long while.

We reached Leila's home, and boy was her house large as heck. We exited the car and waited in line to get inside the party. As we got closer to the door, we could hear Leila saying "Thank you for coming, enjoy!" to each person that went inside the door.

When we reached her, she looked at Lucas, and looked like she was furious.

"I don't remember inviting you," she said to Lucas. "I bet you don't even have an invite," Leila continued.

I pulled Lucas' hand up and showed the invitation he held. "It's right here," I said. Then, with my invitation in my other hand, I brought it up as well. "We both got invites, so we both can come in, right?"

"...Well..." She rolled her eyes to the side. I continued to watch her make a choice.

"Leila, could you let them in, please?" Ness asked. "They're both my friends."

Leila made a calmer face, and sighed. "Fine, go in." She took our invites and we passed through the door. We heard a lot of noise the moment we stepped in, caused by music and loud boys. Up in front of us was a huge living room, where a large number of guys were watching football on the TV, cheering and yelling.

Right beside the TV room split by a thin wall was a huge blank area. However, in a corner of the room was a group of air-filled balloons, all either a blue or purple color. They made me curious, so I walked over to look at them. But, a cheerleader stepped in quickly and blocked the path.

"Sorry, you can't touch these right now," she said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"It's for a special game later, you'll see." I acknowledged the information and walked off.

I headed into the kitchen to find two big tables filled with chips and three kinds of dip, and four other people already snacking on them. There were also two mysterious silver platters on the table, and they were very large too, so I guessed that they were the cake.

I looked at the sliding glass door to find a large pool outside, as well as many guests swimming and relaxing. The instant I saw the size of the pool, I wanted to jump in and play with everyone. Ninten and I headed outside immediately and watched other people toss beach balls at each other before deciding that we wanted to join the fun. We found a changing house in our right, perfectly convenient and vacant for us.

"Hey Ness," I called to him.

"What is it?" he replied as he walked up to me.

"I'm going to go swim, take care of Lucas for me."

"Sure," he responded.

I walked off to the changing area and headed inside. For a few seconds I took a look at the room—it felt damp and slightly warm, but the most surprising part that I heard the door slam shut. I turned around, finding Ninten behind me.

"What the hell?" I reacted. "What're you doing here?"

"Going to change in my swimsuit, of course," he replied.

"W-With me around?" I added.

"I don't mind," he stated with an innocent smile. "Oh...do you?"

I didn't know how to reply. It felt like I took a minute thinking how to answer, "N-No, of course not!" Then I realized how much emphasis I put into those words. "...Don't get the wrong idea, it's not like I want to be with you here!"

Ninten giggled, "Okay!" He turned to a locker behind him and opened it, and began changing.

I stood on the opposite side, turning around and began undressing too. I removed my shirt, and then my shorts. I left myself in my boxers until I quickly grabbed my swimsuit. Just to make sure Ninten wasn't staring, I turned my head quickly to find that Ninten was still in the process of removing his shorts, then I removed my underwear and slipped into my swimsuit. I almost slipped in my hurry, but I recovered quickly and slammed my clothes into my backpack. Then, I shoved it all in a free locker.

When I turned around, Ninten began to remove his underwear. I caught a glimpse of his plump backside. I immediately turned around again, acting like I was checking something in my locker, making sure it was secure or something. When I heard something zip, specifically Ninten's backpack, and then when he shoved it in his locker and shut it, I safely turned around and acted calm.

He looked at me in some sort of glee. I couldn't tell what he was thinking at all.

"You looked at my butt, didn't you?" Ninten asked.

"Wha—no!" I responded.

"Hehe, kidding!" he replied. We headed for the door and I placed my hand on the knob.

"You have a nice butt though," Ninten commented.

...

I slapped his head.

The moment we exited, I ran toward the pool and jumped in, slamming the water all around. I emerged quickly and shook the water off of my face, and looked for Ninten. He was at the edge, slowly bringing one leg after the other down to the water, and slipped in quickly.

The area was shallow—the water stopped right below our shoulders. I asked Ninten if he was okay right now, and he was, he just didn't want to go to the deeper part of the pool. I could understand why—he didn't want to cause any trouble around if he messed up his floating.

Ninten and I merely splashed water at each other until a beach ball floated by. Our next activity was tossing the ball at each other, and it entertained us until the host of the party used a megaphone for an announcement.

"Okay everyone!" blared the birthday girl. "Time to play a pool game!"

Everyone directed their attention to her.

"We're going to split everyone up in four teams, red, blue, yellow, and green. You can choose your team by taking these arm floaties from the water." She and other friends held different colored floaties in their hands, standing by the edge of the pool and ready to toss them. "Not everyone can play, though!" Leila continued, "so you better grab them quick! We'll toss the floaties in the pool after ten minutes, so you better decide soon!"

Guests who were relaxing on the side jumped into the pool, prepared to participate in the game. Others who didn't want to play and just watch for the time being stood to the side, continuing to chat with each other.

A few other males, however, were carrying large poles—red, blue, yellow, and green—and entered the water with them. They positioned the poles into a certain deep part within the water, locking them into the ground so that they stay perfectly still. When they were set, I examined the poles from top to bottom. Other than the fact that they were in different colors, at the top of the poles were large baskets. Everyone assumed it was going to be used in the big game.

"Clausy, let's be on the same team," Ninten said to me.

"Fine, what color do you want to be?" I asked.

"Let's go with red!" he suggested.

"Okay," I replied. When I looked back at the house, I remembered Ness and Lucas were probably still inside. Perhaps they would want to play. I told Ninten this, and he agreed with the thought. He went back into the changing room to go get his phone to call them.

I sat on the edge of the pool, watching the male workers ensure that the four poles were fastened into the ground tightly. Then, from the side, they lightly tossed what seemed to be sandbags into the water. Numerous blue bags were spread all around the pool, sitting on the ground.

Along with others, I guessed the type of game. Perhaps, we have to throw the bags into the basket? That would be easy, though. All you needed was strength and precision, which I had.

Ninten came out of the changing area and slipped back into the pool.

"Ness and Lucas are relaxing on the third floor," he said.

"Relaxing?" I repeated, "Doing what?"

"I dunno, nap I guess?"

We waited for time to pass by, watching others swim. After many moments, Leila and her friends threw all of the floaties into the pool without any warning. As planned, Ninten and I grabbed a red floatie before they were all taken.

Soon after the chaotic swimming, a large number of people who couldn't grab a floatie exited the pool. Everyone assumed that they had to stick near the same colored pole of their arm float, and so the red team grouped together in one corner of the pool. When I counted heads, I estimated fifteen or sixteen people, including Ninten and myself. So, in total, there should be about sixty people in the pool right now.

Leila stood at the center edge of the pool, preparing us for the game. "Okay!" she began, "the goal is to take the sandbags from the floor and throw them into the baskets! You have five minutes to throw in as much as you can! The team with the most sandbags in their basket wins the round! There will be ten games, and in the end, we'll count up all of the rounds together and see which team wins in the end! Oh, and if you wish to stop playing mid-way into the game, you can give up your floatie to someone else, and they can join in your place."

The same few boys returned to throw in more bags into the pool, and once they were done, everyone waited for the signal.

"Everyone ready?" blared Leila. "Get set...go!"

Along with a few other red team members, we immediately dove into the water and attempted to grab a sandbag. At first, I thought this was an easy task, but two factors made the game difficult for everyone: one, our arm floaties added resistance so they prevented us from diving so easily, and two, the sandbag was much heavy. When I successfully grabbed one, I missed on the first try—though, the sight of a random guy being hit by my sandbag and not knowing I had thrown it made the moment more enjoyable.

I looked back at my team; already two bags were in thanks to two athletic males. The others, weaker boys and especially weaker girls, had trouble. Ninten, however, was gathering bags for us by taking the bags in the shallow area and dragging them to our corner. This hastened the two boys' work, but I didn't just leave it to them. After a couple more tosses, I familiarized myself with the bag's weight and made consecutive successful throws into the basket. We were already far ahead of green and yellow team, though blue team was catching up. In the end, however, time ran out and red team won the round.

The current players switched out with new people. We couldn't play again, even as a substitution, until the round finished, so we watched the game continue. Round two finished quickly, ending with a point for the green team.

The game continued on as Ninten and I rejoined the game. Round three, blue team became victorious, followed by a point for yellow, then blue, then red, green, blue, and finally, red.

On the last round, the red and blue teams were fired up. Knowing that green and yellow were already destined to lose, during the game, some players began to add sandbags into our baskets. Biased for their friends, the blue team gradually grew greater in score, however, we had an equal amount of power as well. Sandbags continued to fly, and splash when missed.

Ninten continued being our gatherer, dragging and catching all of the missed bags towards the red team. However, in the event of the competitive chaos, only I noticed that Ninten was tackled by a crazed player. The worse part; it was in a deeper part of the pool, and Ninten was suddenly paralyzed by the damage. His arm was still floating, but the rest of his body, including his head, became uncontrolled.

"Waah!" he cried. "Can't move!" He lost control and his head was suddenly submerged into the water without any breath to take in.

I dropped all of my bags and swam for him immediately. He was vulnerable at the moment, perfect for an incoming flying sandbag. I jerked him over just in time and pulled him close to me; a distance so close that our heads almost met. I wrapped my arm around him tightly, and he held onto me even tighter after being appalled by discovering who had rescued him. I ignored the moment for now and used one arm to bring us to a nearby ladder. He grabbed onto the ladder, still holding on to me.

"C-Clausy..." Ninten choked.

"Go and substitute, don't get yourself hurt anymore," I told. He obeyed and took off his floatie, tossing it to an eager boy who put it on quickly and jumped in. I propelled back to the game as well, throwing in my final few sandbags into the basket.

"Time!" called Leila. Everyone ceased their throws and waited for the male workers to check the baskets. They lowered the pole heights by unscrewing a gear at a lower height, allowing the pole to slide down and decrease. The sandbags were counted, dropped into the water, and the boys went back to Leila to tell her the score. When she readied her megaphone again, we all paid attention.

"Blue team, seventeen bags, red team, twenty bags! Red team wins the game!"

Half of the area cheered for the victory, while the other half congratulated us or glared in distaste. I hurried over to Ninten at a recliner, who was smiling at me as I approached.

"We won!" Ninten exclaimed.

"Yep! We did it!" I agreed. I slapped his palm with joy and sat down with him. Suddenly, he hugged me.

"Wh-Wha—?!" I was taken aback by the sudden embrace.

"Thanks for saving me Clausy," he said. "I owe you big time!"

I calmed down, "Oh...it's no problem. I just did what I had to do."

"But if you hadn't come to my rescue, I probably would've drowned."

I frowned and patted his head. "Fine, you owe me then."

Ninten let go and smiled at me once more, and from his happiness I could feel he was really grateful. I didn't want him to feel too gratified, however.

"D-Don't get the wrong idea!" I said, turning my head. "It's not like I wanted to carry you..."

He giggled, "Okay." He stared at me with an amazed but relieved gaze. However, after a few moments, he perked, looking like he remembered something.

"I gotta call Ness," he stated. "He said call back in one hour; I think it's almost time."

"All right, go," I said, giving him a slight push on the back. He giggled again, waved a temporary farewell and walked away. I watched him smirk with glee all the way to the changing area.

His optimism was something special. The smile and laughter he had made was...adorable.

However, no matter how much I tried to make it not obvious, I knew he could sense I had some sort of affection for him. I realized what I was feeling too, beginning from my sudden impulse to rescue him and holding him too close to me. When I met his eyes, and then made one glance at his lips...I felt like I wanted to kiss him.

...Oh god.

...I'm seriously falling in love with that one boy.


	4. Ninten's Sadness

**Lenne**: Okay in the past I've said I've been working on TOBT from time to time, but honestly, things came up, and I didn't actually feel like doing fanfiction. But my motivation is back, and here is a somewhat short chappie of TOBT.

We start off at the end of Ch12 of TOB.

* * *

Chapter 4: Ninten's Sadness

"Oh, that's easy!" Ninten exclaimed. He pointed his finger to me. "I like Clausy!"

He what.

He WHAT?

"WHAT?!" I slapped the back of his head as a response.

"Oww...but it's true!" Ninten attached himself to my arm and snuggled against it. Everyone was laughing. My face flushed a hot red as I tried to struggle Ninten off.

Why did he just do that?

Why did he have to tell everyone?

Why?

I pushed Ninten off one more time with as much gentle force, but I pushed too hard and he was knocked back. Ninten had a small grin as if he enjoyed it, but only I, with a very quick glance, saw a hint of sadness in his eyes after he saw my irritated expression. He turned back to the circle, acting as if nothing had happened.

Ness was next in the game. He chose dare, and read it out loud. He hummed, before stating "Kiss the person on your left."

Everyone watched as he pulled my brother closer to him for a kiss. Shocked gasps sounded, and mouths dropped open. Ninten smiled giddly.

After Ness pulled back, Lucas stared with wide eyes, unable to move. Ness let go, but my brother fell backwards onto the ground.

"Uh...Luke?" Ness questioned.

"Lucas?" I called to him.

Ninten crawled over and put two fingers on Lucas' wrist. "He's fine," he stated. "He just fainted."

He _fainted_? From kissing Ness?

"Oh, I guess he can't play anymore," Leila said.

"Gonna need to carry him out then," Ness stated. He put Lucas' arm and lifted him up. I helped him as well, putting his other arm around me.

"No, you stay—" Leila was about to intervene, but Ness cut her off.

"All right, let's take him to the quiet room upstairs," Ness stated. We walked off, carrying Lucas out into the hallway near the stairs, out of everyone's sight. When we began dragging Lucas up the stairs, Ness saw how his feet was left alone, being hit by the stairs.

"This isn't working," Ness said. He looked down at the Truth or Dare room, acknowledging that no one could see us. He put Lucas' arm around me for a moment, before taking Lucas' whole body back in his arms. He carried him like a bride. Though I was slightly against the idea, it was successful in bringing Lucas upstairs.

I watched for a moment, until I found Ninten slowly followed behind. He was looking down, eyes set to the carpet his feet touched, pondering mindlessly.

"Ninten?" I called to him.

He looked up at me, almost nervous. "Y-Yeah?"

"...Something wrong?" I asked.

"...N-No." Ninten continued walking up the stairs past me. I sighed, following behind him. I watched his back as we continued onto the second floor, and then onto the next set of stairs.

A frightening thing happened.

Ninten missed a step by half a foot, and before he realized it, he lifted himself up with his other foot, failing to step upwards. Instead, he fell backwards.

"Uwah!"

"Ninten!" I quickly reacted and caught him with both of my arms, holding him close to me again. I felt like I was going to fall too, but I held my ground and kept Ninten upwards. After he was safe in my arms, I stepped upwards to his level and helped him stand upright.

"You okay?" I asked him. Ninten made no answer. He looked scared to death. His body was mildly shaking, and he grasped my shoulder tightly.

"Guys?" Ness called. He was above us on the third floor. "You both okay?"

"O-Oh, uh, we're fine!" Ninten responded. He gave Ness a thumbs up, signaling him to continue forward. Ninten shrugged me off, hiding his face from me and continued onwards.

Something was definitely wrong with Ninten. I'd never seen him so...depressed.

We reached the relaxation room in the back of the third floor hallway. Ness gently laid Lucas down onto one of the chairs.

"Looks like he'll be okay now," Ness stated. He walked past me out the door. "I'm gonna go get some drinks, want anything?"

"Juice is fine," I answered.

"Same," Ninten said.

"Be right back then." Ness headed down the hallway back to the ground floor. Ninten began walking past me until I grabbed his shoulder.

"Ninten," I called to him. He didn't move his head to me.

"...What?" he mumbled.

"...What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Nothing."

"...Did I do something to make you mad?"

"...I'm not mad..."

I grew more concerned as time passed on. I shut the door and locked it, preventing Ninten from escaping just in case. Then, I faced him. "Ninten."

"...Clausy, do you hate me?" He lifted his head up, his face almost red and broken from wettened eyes.

I reacted quickly, "No, of course not. I could never hate you."

"R-Really?" Ninten said. "Aren't I annoying?"

"Well..." I mumbled. Honestly, he was annoying, but how can I tell him that without hurting his feelings?

Ninten looked down. "I see."

"W-Well, you're annoying, but not in a bad way...uh..."

Why did I say that?

Ninten chuckled. The moment was silent, until I broke it.

"Ninten...?"

"Yeah?"

"I-I'm sorry...if I did anything bad to you."

Ninten grinned, but only a small one. "It's okay." He walked over to Lucas, watching him in silence. I walked over to Ninten's side, unable to say anything.

"Clausy." Ninten began. I perked up and listened closely. "Thanks for saving me again."

I remembered the event back at the staircase. "Oh...it's no problem."

"How many times have you saved me?" Ninten asked. "Hm...you saved me at your pool, the pool here, and again at the stairs. So, three times..."

"Y-Yeah, I guess..."

"You're like my hero," Ninten stated.

"Am I?"

Ninten giggled and nodded. Then, he looked down, crossing his hands together behind his back, fiddling his feet together.

"I was serious when I told everyone I liked you..."

I felt my face blushing. "Oh."

At that point, I figured it out. When I pushed Ninten off, he must have thought I was serious about wanting to get away from him. That's why he had a sad look in his eyes, as if he couldn't believe his crush just pushed him away.

"Ninten," I said to him.

"Hm?" I grabbed his shoulders, causing him to face me. Our eyes made contact, though I shut them to help myself gain some confidence. It didn't help. I was still hanging my head, trying not to look at him directly.

I couldn't believe what i was gonna say.

"...I like you too," I whispered.

No sound. No body movement. No reaction. That is, until I lifted my head up. Ninten's face was now filled with a bright red, his mouth almost open, and eyes just pointing straight at me.

"Y-You...wh-wh-what?"

I didn't want to say it again. "You heard me," I replied.

"Actually...not clearly."

I sighed, mustering my courage once again. "I like you too, Ninten. But not like, like. Like, like-like, I mean...you know, the same way you feel...I guess, and..."

Ninten laughed, "Okay, stop, stop." I tried to hide my embarrassment, but Ninten hugged me.

"A-Ah?" I sounded.

"So, Clausy~" Ninten sang.

"Y-Yeah?"

"When did you start liking me?"

Where do I start? I don't even know. "I don't know...the feelings just came by, I guess."

"When did you start thinking I was cute?"

"W-What?" What was with these questions? "Where'd you hear that from?"

"Lucas."

"H-How did he know—"

"He said your dog told him."

"...Still, why would he tell you that? I oughta hit him." I glared at my brother's still head.

"Oh uh...Lucas has been telling stuff about you to me," he stated.

"...Why?"

"Because we agreed on giving each other advice, since I like you, and Lucas likes Ness."

"Wait, Lucas likes Ness?" My eyes widened. "He never told me that."

"He probably didn't want you to know, I guess."

"I see." I looked at Lucas, sleeping peacefully. How could he not tell me he liked Ness? I would've helped if I could.

I looked down at Ninten. He was happy with embracing me in his arms. It made me happy too, seeing him smile again. My insides fluttered with joy, compelling me to return the embrace.

"Nnn~" Ninten hummed. "You're so warm." He snuggled closer to me. He looked so adorable.

A sudden impulse took over me. I had to meet with his lips.

"N-Ninten?" I whispered.

"Yes, Clausy?"

"Could I kiss you?" The question was already too embarrassing.

"O-Oh?" Ninten pulled away with a curious look.

"I-It's not like I want to kiss you," I immediately said. "I mean I do, but I mean, I was wondering if you wanted to, so..."

Ninten closed his eyes and merely lifted himself up with his feet. I saw how eager he longed to kiss me too. I silently gulped, and began leaning in. I grew nearer to him, almost closing the distance between us...

...until I saw Lucas waking up, and backed off quickly.

* * *

**Lenne**: I would've continued on with Chapter 13 events, but I felt like it was redundant. You get more ClausXNinten in the future, though, and it'll be much more romantic.


	5. Ninten's Tiredness

**Lenne:** Here is another TOBT chappie~ short I know, but we're getting to the better stuff soon.

I'm sure that by the end of this chapter you might know where we may get to next time.

But anyways, enjoy~

* * *

Chapter 5: Ninten's Tiredness

At the window of the door, I watched Lucas and Boney climb into a black car and down the street out of the house's sight. I quietly, but quickly snuck back into my room. Struggling to stay awake and to keep a lookout for my parents, I grabbed my laptop from under my bed and began playing an online game with muted sound. I adventured through the fantasy world with an online friend, who was also staying up late. Midway in killing a boss monster, my phone rang. I told him that I had to "brb" and retreated to a safe area in the game and checked who was calling.

It was Ninten!

I answered the call. "Hello?"

"Hi Clausy~" he sang. "Am I bothering you? Were you asleep?"

"No, not at all," I answered, "I'm staying awake until Lucas gets back."

"Oh, right, he's gonna go take down those pictures with Kumatora."

"Mm-hm. So what're you calling me for? It's pretty late."

"I just wanted to talk to my Clausy~"

"We talked today, ain't that enough?"

"Nope." I giggled along with him.

"Do you need something?" I asked him.

"Just letting you know that my dad found some fishy things about Leila's dad, so he's gonna get to work on him soon."

"What kind of fishy things?" I questioned.

"He wouldn't tell me, but he said that he'll be able to save Ness from Leila if what he's saying is true."

"That's good," I reacted.

I heard Ninten sigh before a loud thomp on a creaking bed. "I'm tired," he groaned.

"Then head to sleep," I said, chuckling.

"I wanna stay up with you though~"

"You gotta get your sleep. I can't have a sleepy boyfriend in the morning."

Somehow, I could tell Ninten was blushing after my comment. Maybe it was because he giggled like an idiot, almost subtly whispering "boyfriend, boyfriend..."

Just then, I heard a sudden draining of water from a room nearby, specifically the bathroom. Someone was up.

"Hang on, Ninten," I said to him.

"Okay."

I got out of bed and slightly opened my door. Within the dim hallway, I saw Dad exiting the bathroom, yawning as he stepped into the hall. I also acted sleepy and slowly opened the door, rubbing my eyes and having them half open as I walked like a drunk man.

"Claus?" I heard Dad whisper.

"Y-Yeah?" I said, approaching the bathroom.

"What're you doing up?" he sleepily questioned.

"Bathroom," I tiredly replied. I acted like I was making sure I reached the bathroom door too, printing my hand in a precise area on the wall and door.

"Oh, well good night." As Dad walked past me, I watched him ignoring to check brother's room or my room. He simply went into his bedroom with Mom and quietly closed the door.

When it closed shut, I tiptoed back into my room and climbed back onto my bed, grabbing my cellphone.

"Okay, I'm good," I said.

"What were you doing?" Ninten asked.

"Just checking who was up. It was my dad."

"Oh."

"I was making sure he didn't check Lucas' room."

"Ah, I see."

I heard a loud yawn after Ninten's comment. "You okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah, yeah..." The fatigue in his tone already made it obvious how tired he was. "I'm fine, Clausy."

"No, you're tired. Go to sleep, _Ninty_."

Ninten snickered at how creative I was with his nickname, and I hit myself for how stupid I was to come up with it. "Ninty," he repeated. "it's cute, but kinda weird."

"You don't like it?" I felt like I did something wrong.

"It's okay, but maybe you could think of another nickname for me."

"Why don't you choose what you wanna be called?" I asked.

"I came up with 'Clausy,' so you have to come up with something for me."

"Okay," I replied. "Any preference?"

Ninten hummed. "Something simple, not too 'cool' or 'awesome,' and you have to be comfortable with saying it."

"What's wrong with Ninty?"

"It sounds like 'minty.'"

"You don't like sounding like fresh mint?"

"Not really." We both laughed.

"Okay, okay." I stared at the blackened ceiling of my room, trying to think of a good nickname for Ninten.

Something that would fit him, hm? And it has to be okay for me to call him that too.

"Does it have to include a part of your name?" I asked him.

"Whatever you want..." I could tell Ninten was about to drift off to sleep. I had to come up with something quickly.

Something simple, and comfortable for me to say.

Oh?

"What about, 'babe'?" I said.

"B-Babe?" Ninten repeated. "Th-That's..."

"You don't like it?"

"I-I do...i-it's...um...do you like calling me that?"

I thought about it, calling Ninten 'babe' every moment every day of our future lives together.

"Y-Yeah, I do," I said, cherishing the thoughts. When I realized how stupid I sounded, I quickly followed after. "B-But don't get the wrong idea—it's not like I'm gonna treat you like you're my babe or something—I-I mean, I will, but not like some stupid punk trying to defend his girl, but like you're _my_ special babe—I mean—"

Ninten 's chuckle cut me off. "Clausy..."

"...Yeah?"

"You're such a tsundere."

I froze, unsure of what to say.

"I'm a what?" I asked. I honestly didn't know what he called me.

"Nothing," he responded, followed by a giddy giggle.

I didn't feel like fighting Ninten to get my answer, because not only did I not want to push him, I didn't want to expend my failing energy right now. I was also on the verge of sleep.

"Babe, babe...babe," I heard Ninten whisper. It was obvious he was not very good at trying to be subtle.

"You okay, _babe_?" I attempted.

Ninten giggled afterwards. "Yeah, I'm fine." He laughed a bit more.

"You like it when I call you _babe_, huh?" I asked him.

"Y-Yeah. I like it, but it's a little too intimate~" Ninten responded.

"Heh, fine," I said. "I'll call you babe as soon as you fix Ness' issue."

"Okay, then I'll be helping my dad as much as I can, but after all this is over, I better be your 'babe' forever."

I grinned, "Deal."

Ninten yawned one more time. "I guess I'm gonna go to sleep now."

"All right. Good night, _babe_."

Ninten hummed happily. "Good night, Clausy."

I shut my phone off, hearing the end conversation tone. I crashed my arms down and let out a huff. Suddenly, there was a tap on the door.

"Who is it?" I silently called.

"It's me, I'm back," I heard. I knew who it was; I could tell just by that tone.

I tiptoed to the door and slightly opened it. There, I found Lucas, looking pretty beat from his night adventure.

"You finished?" I asked him.

"Yeah, but did Mom or Dad suspect anything?" he responded.

"Nope," I answered. Then, I remember seeing our father wake up moments earlier. "Dad did get up one time to go to the bathroom, but I faked wanting to go the bathroom too. As I watched him before I went in, he didn't check in on your door, so you were okay."

"Okay, good," he said. "I'm gonna sleep now."

"All right, g'night bro," I told.

"Good night."

Lucas quietly made his way into his bedroom and closed the door. I shut my door as well, and headed back to my bed. I quit the game I was on and slipped my laptop under my bed. I covered myself up and headed to sleep.

For a short moment, I imagined having Ninten next to me, and I felt like grabbing his invisible body and having him close to me. He giggled as we nuzzled our noses together, since I figured that was what could be done. Then, he snuggled up to my chest. It was a good feeling. A very good feeling.

He was definitely my _babe_.


	6. Ninten's Weakness

**Lenne: **Okay! So here's Chapter 6~ sorry it too long.

I blame Luke for delaying this. *just kidding, love you babe~*

I'll let you guys figure out where we start off from TOB now.

* * *

Chapter 6: Ninten's Weakness

From the depths of my closet, I pulled out an attire I'd thought I would not use unless it was a family occasion. It was a white-coat tuxedo, and along with it came shiny black dress pants and shoes. I carefully put them on, as if not wanting to ruin their shimmer, and adjusted a bow-tie onto my collar. I took a good look at myself in the mirror.

Boy, do I look _sexy_. I hope Ninten thinks the same.

I left my room and approached my brother's door. I knew Mom was inside there, trying to make Lucas as handsome as possible. I leaned against the wall, but couldn't help poke my head in after hearing Lucas continuing to be pampered.

"I still can't believe my boys are going to their first dance!" exclaimed Mom.

"Mom, that's good enough!" Lucas stated.

"All right, all right." She looked at Lucas from top to bottom, and then bottom to top. She continued to this for a while, until I spoke.

"I think he looks good enough, Mom," I said.

"Mm, I guess you're right," she agreed. She took all of her beauty supplies and exited the room. Lucas walked over to me and nervously smiled.

"Thanks," he said.

"No problem," I replied. "Do you think Ninten will like this?"

Lucas took a look at me and gave a quick answer. "Yeah, I think he definitely would."

Definitely, huh? I couldn't wait to see Ninten's reaction.

"Thanks," I told Lucas. "I'm sure Ness will like yours, too."

Lucas giddly smiled and blushed.

We headed downstairs to meet Mom with a camera, and Dad looking at us proudly. We were both confused and somewhat annoyed; it was just a dance, but as parents, they wouldn't realize the simple meaning of it.

As Lucas and I posed for our picture, Dad asked, "So, who are the lucky girls that you're going with?"

At first, we didn't want to comment because of how wrong the question was, but we had to answer or else they would get suspicious.

"It's a secret, we'll tell you about them later," I stated.

"Oh, they must be very happy to go with you," Mom commented. She snapped the last picture before Boney barked from outside. A car honked from the almost darkened streets.

Lucas and I rushed outside to find a blue van running by our house. I didn't know the faces of the people inside yet, but we both knew what the car was here for. An almost-bald, bearded man lowered the window and waved at us. If I recall correctly, this man was named Duster.

"There's our ride," I said. "Gotta go!"

"You boys have fun now!" Dad exclaimed.

"Be safe!" Mom commented.

"We will!" responded Lucas.

We entered the van's inner seats and sat down. Once the doors were closed, Duster continued the car to pick up our next rider.

Kumatora turned her head to us. "So, how are you both doing?" she asked.

"Fine, thanks," I answered.

"You both excited?" asked Duster.

"I guess," Lucas replied.

The drive to Ninten's house was a short time span, but I could only think of repeating yesterday's events...

* * *

As the rest of the gym class had headed outside after changing their clothes, Ninten and I took our time together. We were both alone; no boys or hidden cameras to watch us. All the noise that could be heard was the ruffling of our clothes.

It felt like a weird setting, but I had to ask him.

"Ninten," I called to him as his back was turned to me.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Um..." I stood still until he faced me, pondering curiously.

"What is it, Clausy?" He held my hand and smiled.

I tried to ask him the question. But, for some reason, I felt my whole body burning and itching. I opened my mouth, but nothing escaped. Was I really nervous? Maybe I was. Was this how others felt when they were trying to ask their dates out? Was this that hard?

"You look a little flushed," Ninten said. He put the back of his hand to my forehead to check my temperature, and then returned it to himself. "Are you sick?"

"N-No, it's not that," I answered. "Y-You see...I, um..."

"Yeah?" He smiled again, and my skin twitched.

I mustered up all of the will I had and broke the difficult wall. "I know this might seem pointless...b-but n-not as like it's a pointless question or anything, I mean, I thought I-I should ask because I, err, had to, not because I w-wanted to, but, you know, I was wondering if you, well, wanted to...um, go...to the Spring Dance with me...?"

In my mind, I laughed at myself for doing a terrible job. Then, I laughed at my mind after Ninten hugged me tightly.

"Oh Clausy, of course I'll go with you!" he exclaimed.

"Really?" I questioned.

Ninten nodded. "To be honest, I was going to ask you...but I guess I don't need to now."

"O-Oh, okay." I wrapped my arms around him and stood by his warmth. Despite our height differences, he was so soothing to be by. It was just like how I imagined that night when he called me.

"So, how are we gonna go to the dance?" Ninten asked.

...I honestly had no idea.

...Until Lucas solved the problem later, by asking his friend Kumatora.

Then, everything went well.

* * *

We parked behind a red sports car, only to find that Ninten wasn't outside in front of the house. I got out of the car, approached the house, and knocked on the door. I waited for an answer.

Eventually, Ninten answered. In my mind, my mouth dropped open. I felt my face flushing another wave of heat. He was standing there in a dark blue suit, and the way it looked on him made him so adorable.

He smiled at me, mainly at my appearence. I began the first compliment, subtly clearing my throat.

"You look nice," I said, smiling.

"Th-Thanks," Ninten responded.

"Ready to go?" I extended my hand out to him, and Ninten grabbed it without hesitation. He gripped it with nervous effort, slightly shaking at that. It went away after he saw Lucas coming to us and waved at him.

"You look great!" Ninten said to Lucas as we headed towards him.

"Thanks," Lucas said.

"I'm pretty sure Ness is gonna give you some good loving," he added.

Lucas blushed and chuckled. "Really..."

Duster waved at us to hurry up, and so we picked up the pace and neared the van.

The moment we arrived, however, the red sports car began to emit light from its back. Its wheels screeched as the driver rolled away, causing massive smoke cloud to exit from its exhaust pipe.

The smoke reached us. I immediately attempted to wave the stench away while trying to breathe in as little gas as possible.

"Eugh!" Kumatora screamed. "That reeks!"

"Ugh, they must be in a hurry," Duster grumbled, coughing after.

"Whew!" I said, finally taking in some fresh air. "That was nasty. You okay Nin..."

My heart almost stopped after I saw Ninten on the ground, coughing uncontrollably.

"Ninten?!" I called to him.

Everyone else was silent to hear Ninten's slow but loud breathing. He continued to wheeze loudly as he held onto my legs. I quickly lowered myself and supported his back with my arm.

"What's wrong, Ninten?" Lucas frantically asked.

Kumatora jumped out of her seat and ran around the van to check on him. "Did the smoke do this to him?!" she exclaimed.

"Is he having an asthma attack?" Duster immediately questioned.

"Asthma?!" I exclaimed.

Asthma. No wonder Ninten looked so tired when he did physical activity. That explains why he was struggling to control his breathing at our pool when he came over.

Ninten continued to wheeze as he cluthced my shoulder with his hand. I tried to hold him closer as his left arm began making an attempted movement for his jacket pocket. He reached for an something, and pulled out an object. He attempted to bring it towards his face, but he dropped it onto the ground.

Immediately, one of Ninten's sisters dashed out of the door. "I heard a car outside, what happened?" Then, she saw Ninten on the ground. "Ninten!" She looked at the dropped object on the ground, "Give him his inhaler!" she responded.

Inhaler, right! I quickly grabbed it, removed the cap and inserted the pipe into Ninten's mouth.

Ninten's sister came running and wrapped her arm on Ninten's back. "Breathe, Ninten!" she exclaimed. "Push the button, right there!"

I did as told and pushed the button on the inhaler. Ninten's eyes were shut throughout the situation, but after using the inhaler, his breathing calmed down and he could see what was going on. He grabbed the inhaler and kept it in his mouth, as if prepared to use it again. Seconds later, he took it out of his mouth and exhaled.

"You okay, Ninten?" I asked. Ninten said nothing and hugged me. He stared at my neck, eyes filled with water and fear. Then he moved his head and snuggled against my shoulder.

"There, there...it's all right now," I said to him, rubbing his back.

"I almost died..." Ninten whispered.

My heart almost stopped again. I felt how scared Ninten was.

"Was it the red car that did this to him?" asked Ninten's sister. Lucas nodded, and then her eyes grew serious. "Minnie!" she called.

Ninten's other sister exited the home to discover the situation. "What happened?"

"Get that car's license plate," she said.

"Okay!" she ran back in the house.

"You wrote down the car's license plate?" Duster asked.

"It was just in case," replied Ninten's sister. "We saw the car park in front of our house, and we didn't know who it was. We wrote it down in case the person inside was up to no good."

"That's great then," I said. I spoke on Ninten's behalf, "You can catch whoever it was that did this to him, right?"

"Yeah, we should, but right now, Ninten needs to rest." Ninten's sister helped him up, but Ninten shrugged her off and returned to my arms.

"I'm okay, I can still go to the dance," he said.

I examined his face and his body language. He almost tripped when he came back to me, and he was slightly breathing heavily. His pale face didn't help either.

"You don't look okay though," I stated.

"I'm f...f-fine, Clausy, we can go," replied Ninten.

i sighed. There was no other choice. I lifted Ninten's body up and carried him in my arms, taking note of his light weight. "You're going to rest and that's final," I told him. "I'll stay with you, don't worry."

Ninten subtly nodded and shut his eyes. "Lucas," he said, "tell Ness that my dad found out something about Leila and her father; they're going to be in trouble soon."

"Will do," Lucas said.

Ninten smiled at them. "Have fun at the dance," he said. I carried him inside his home as his sister shut the door behind us.

"Where do I take him?" I asked.

"Follow me," said Ninten's sister.

I followed her instructions and headed upstairs with her. She headed to a door and opened it, allowing us inside. I guessed it was Ninten's room, but for now, I placed him down on the bed.

"I'll be right back Ninten," said his sister. Ninten made no reaction after the door closed behind them.

I caressed Ninten's cheek as he rested peacefully. I admired how he was right now, but then I remembered the pain he felt from his asthma attack.

Speaking of which, I hope the driver of that car burns in hell, right after I beat the crap out of him first. That is, if I ever get to meet him.

"C-Claus..." Ninten moaned.

"Yes?" I immediately answered.

"C-Could you unbutton my suit? I-It's stuffy..."

I let my mind ponder beyond that thought for a moment before I used my hands to reach for his suit's buttons. I loosened all of them and slipped the dark blue coat off of him, leaving Ninten in a light-blue dress shirt.

I didn't know if I should unbutton his shirt as well, so I left it alone until Ninten wanted me to take it off as well. I hid my blush, gulping silently and slipped off the buttons of his shirt. I did nothing more other than opening his chest more, but Ninten lifted his body up and threw his shirt off, leaving it on the floor with his coat.

"Y-You okay like that?" I asked him.

"Yeah...I can breathe easily now."

I sat on the bed beside him, continuing to caress his cheek, and then I went to his hair. He felt very comfortable, noted by the small, relaxed hums he made.

He lied there very silently, as if he was now asleep. I ceased my hand and just watched him there, finally relieved that he was now okay.

"Clausy," he suddenly said.

"Y-Yeah?"

He looked at me worryingly. "I'm...sorry."

I held his hand. "For what?"

"...Not telling you about my asthma."

I grinned, "It's nothing to be sorry about. Why would you think that?"

"..." Ninten looked to the side. "I used to wheeze a lot in the past. I couldn't really control my breathing well, and people laughed at me in school. My teachers would get onto me for trying to be louder than them or disrupting others' work. Whenever we had tests, I had to be put in a separate room until everyone finished. And after we were all done, they'd continue making fun of me."

I looked at him, more worried.

"So..." he continued, "...my asthma was something I wasn't really proud of. It caused my old friends, and teachers, trouble. It always annoyed them because I needed them to take me to the nurse or something when I had attacks..."

"...I see," I said. "So you were worried because I would feel annoyed by watching out for your asthma?"

He nodded slowly. "...I'm sorry, Clausy."

I sighed and caressed his cheeks. "I told you, there's nothing to be sorry about."

"...I'd thought you would've hated me or something," he stated.

"I'd never hate you, Ninten. In fact, if anything, it gives me more of a reason to protect you."

"...You really don't mind?"

"Of course." I made an assuring smile, and he slowly grinned back.

"I see..." He returned to resting peacefully.

Out of a loving desire, I kissed his cheek.

"Oh?" he sounded. I quickly pulled away and we stared at each other.

"...Clausy...?"

I turned my head away. "D-Don't get me wrong. I didn't kiss your cheek because I wanted to or anything..."

Ninten giggled and tugged on my shirt. When I looked at him, he made one more, powerful tug that brought me down to his face.

"Uh?" I questioned.

Ninten smiled before wrapping his arms around my neck and pulled me closer, making contact with my lips. At first, I was surprised, but I didn't want to push myself away. This was something we both wanted, and we were enjoying it.

I pulled away first to get some air. I saw Ninten's smile again, and it warmed my heart even more.

"Clausy..."

"Shh," I whispered. "Just relax, babe_._" I lowered myself again and kissed him once more.

Unexpectedly, we both heard footsteps. The door opened, and it was too late for us.

"Ninten? What happened—"

We both turned our heads quickly to find an adult man and Ninten's two sisters by the door. Everything was silent.

"Ooh~" sang one of the girls.

"...This isn't what it looks like," I told them.

"Er, Clausy..." Ninten mumbled. He reminded me that he was shirtless. Oh great.

The man cleared his throat. "...Ninten, I understand you have feelings like that right now, but must you do it with the door unlocked?"

"Sorry, papa," he said. Ninten slipped off of me and we both sat up on the bed. "We got caught up in the moment."

...Wait, papa?

..._Papa_?

"Th-That's your dad?" I asked.

"Yep, this is Commander Papa!"

"Well, that's what Ninten calls me, but yes, I am the commander of my police station at Podunk," stated the man. He lifted his eyebrow, "May I ask who are you?"

"Oh, this is my boyfriend, Clausy," Ninten answered, holding onto my arm.

"Err, it's Claus," I corrected.

"Ah, so you're Claus. I understand you've been taking care of my son?"

I stuttered, "S-Sir! Yes sir, of course."

"So, what're you doing here papa?" Ninten questioned.

"Well, I was on my way to arrest Leila and her father, until Mimmie told me what just happened. Are you all right?"

"Mm-hm, I'm fine now." Ninten grabbed his shirt and began putting it on. "So why arrest Leila too? I thought it was just her father that was in trouble."

"I'll explain later, right now a couple of my men are on the way to the school and I need to catch up with them."

"Can we go too?" Ninten asked.

"...Very well. Put on your coat and meet me downstairs quickly." He turned around and made one step before a phone rang. Ninten's father grabbed his phone from his pocket and answered.

"Yes, what is it? ...I thought so. That little... ...yes, please. All right. I was checking with my son, he's all right. We're on the way now."

He closed his phone. "It turns out Leila's father was related with that car's driver," he stated. He headed downstairs and we followed soon after.

"Really?" Ninten asked. "How so?"

"He offered to promote him when he kills you, or at least, hospitalize you."

"...That bastard," I whispered.

"I know; I'm going to make him suffer," agreed Ninten's father.

We reached the front door. Ninten's sisters followed us, but their father stopped them. "Mimmie, Minnie, call your mother and tell her that Ninten is okay now."

"Okay, papa!" replied one of the girls.

The three of us walked forward to meet a black, shiny vehicle. Under the moonlight, it was hard to tell that it was a policeman's car, but perhaps it was designed this way to be subtle.

Before Ninten's dad unlocked the doors, he patted Ninten's head. "Are you sure you're all right, son?"

"Yes, I'm fine, papa. Let's arrest Leila's dad so I can go dance with Clausy."

He chuckled, "All right then, get in." The car flashed once, and the locks clicked. Ninten went inside the backseats first and I followed after.

As we adjusted in our seats, Ninten's father started the car. Without any other assurance to be made, we quickly left the house and made our way to the school.

Ninten tugged my sleeve. "Are you ready, Clausy?" he whispered.

I nodded, "Mm-hm."


	7. Our Happiness

Chapter 7: Our Happiness

Lucas, Ninten, and I landed at our bus stop. We had just finished the last day of sophomore year, and god damn, it was long.

Ninten clung onto my arm as we made our way down the street. Lucas grinned at us as we all chatted about our last day of school and about the plans we had for the summer. Ninten was delighted to have us over again at his villa, and we were looking forward to it.

I know I was really excited to go, because there, something very special happened during the summer before our freshman year. The events there changed my relationship with Ninten. Of course, we still loved each other, but...

"So, Clausy, how long do you guys wanna stay over?" Ninten asked, interupting my thoughts.

"As long as possible," I replied. "Heck, I'd rather spend the whole summer there."

"Too bad Mom doesn't really want us to stay over for so long, huh?" Lucas reminded.

"At least your parents allowed you guys to stay over for a month now rather than two weeks, unlike the first time you came," Ninten responded.

"True." Lucas chuckled.

Lucas and I arrived at our home. Ninten let go of my arm, even though he didn't want to. However, we knew I planned to meet him later, so I gave him a quick kiss before I watched him made his way further down the sidewalk.

We headed inside our house. I threw my backpack down against the stairs, tired of the weight I was carrying throughout the school year. I let out an obnoxious groan, finally relieved of spending a second year of high school.

"So, what're you gonna do?" I asked Lucas as he set his backpack down gently.

"I'm gonna meet with Ness later."

"As usual," I said, chuckling.

"Mm-hm."

"Do anything _naughty_ yet?" I sang as I poked his side with my elbow.

Lucas blushed and turned away. "O-Of course not."

"You both need to be more daring," I said. "Try it, it's fun."

"You know we're both waiting until we're older," he argued.

"When you're younger it's better," I responded.

"Of course you would say that, since—"

Lucas cut himself off after he saw Mom and Dad sitting depressingly at the dining table. Boney was also beside them, looking down as well. Our parents looked like they were probably in a fight. No, they wouldn't be near each other then. Then what? What was wrong?

And...why was the atmosphere so...sad?

"Mom? Dad?" I called onto them.

They perked up after they heard my voice. "O-Oh, Lucas, Claus..." Mom whispered. She looked to Dad for a moment. "...Do you want to tell them now?"

"...I may as well give them the time to prepare," Dad replied.

"Prepare for what?" I interupted.

"...Boys, come sit here." Dad directed us to the two seats in front of him. Lucas and I walked over and sat down.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked.

"...I'm afraid you're going to hate me," Dad said.

"Why's that?" I questioned, growing suspicious.

Mom and Dad looked at each other again. Mom sighed and spoke first.

"Your father...has gotten a new job," she stated.

"Oh? That's great then, isn't it?" I said. "Does it pay a lot?"

"Yes, it does, actually," Dad replied. "But that's not the point."

"What do you mean?" Lucas questioned.

"The point is..." Dad stared at the table. He didn't want to speak anymore, it seems. But he felt like he had to tell us. He made contact with our eyes.

"...We have to move."

...

"O-Oh, move?" I said. "Is that all? Where're we going, like, down a couple blocks or something?""

"...No, Claus," Mom said. "I'm afraid we have to move to a new town."

...New town?

...

"New town?" I burst out. "Where?!"

"...Fourside," Dad answered.

Fourside. We were taught where that was in school. All the way across the country.

...No...

No...

No. No. No. No...!

"Why?!" I yelled.

"I'm sorry Claus," Dad said. "I was offered a big promotion, and it pays a lot too, but they need me to move to Fourside, and it's very far from Onett. It's across the whole country; I can't just leave all of us behind."

"That's—" I stuttered, "that's so stupid!"

"Please, Claus," Mom begged, "Try to calm down."

I yelled at them. "You expect me to calm down after telling me I need to leave Ninten behind?!" Tears formed in my eyes. I didn't want to raise my voice like that. I didn't want them to see my pain. I jumped out of my seat and ran upstairs.

"Claus!" Mom called.

I didn't look back. I hurried upstairs into my room and locked the door. When I knew I was alone, I slid down against the door, covering my face with my hands. I couldn't hold back the sobs within me any longer.

"Claus?" Dad called from behind the door. "Claus, open up, please!"

"NO!" I answered. "J-Just leave me alone!"

"Claus," Dad continued, "I know it's hard to deal with this, that's why i didn't want to tell you at the end of this summer. I'm telling you now so that you can prepare to say good-bye."

"I never wanted to say good-bye in the first place!" I responded. "You know how much I care about Ninten. You know how much Lucas cares about Ness. You know how much we all need each other! Why are you taking it away now?!"

"I'm not taking it away forever!" Dad stated. I paused for a moment. "We will only be living there for one year. That is it. One year is enough for me to get enough money so you two can go to college and have even more than that. After I am done there we can move back as soon as you and Lucas want."

I looked at the door and opened it slightly. Dad could see my reddened face. "One year?" I whispered. He nodded. "You promise we'll come back?"

"I promise," he vowed. "I don't want to seperate you boys forever. I'd be a terrible father to do that."

I looked down at the ground. One year? I have to survive one year without Ninten just so I can be somewhat rich in the future? It sounds like an okay deal...

...but could I handle it?

...

"...I'll think about it," I depressingly answered. Dad opened the door and pulled me in for an embrace.

"It'll be okay, son," he said. "Just trust me."

I said nothing. I gave him my trust. For now, my mission was figuring out how to say good-bye to Ninten.

...

I discussed things with Lucas, Mom, and Dad for the next couple of days. We eventually agreed on moving, even though Lucas and I greatly resented it. It was for the sake of our future, we believed. If we couldn't get education, we couldn't get jobs, and we couldn't support our lovers. It was for their sake too as well.

We hid our disappointment from our boyfriends. It was a difficult task. We didn't know how to tell the news to them yet, or how to say good-bye to them. We couldn't say good-bye to them. But, that was our job for now. And so, to make it easier, we had to give them our most memorable last moments together until we meet again.

The trip to the summer villa came. To help us, Mom and Dad allowed us to stay as long as we wanted to until the end of summer. Honestly, Ninten's villa was a place that was the most convenient and romantic for our situations. Large swimming pools under daylight, a fake beach, a quiet private park, an enjoyable public park, barbecue parties, night-time fireworks, long hours of video gaming, relaxation in the spa—an endless amount of amenities. I wondered how Ninten's family could have afforded this in the first place. Regardless, Lucas and I used the villa to make the most of our last moments with our lovers.

For Lucas, he tried to be as loving as he could with Ness. I noticed he would be more flirty with him, confident in his decisions, and brave when given situations he didn't normally face. It helped erase some of his timid-like self, but most of all, Lucas always made sure Ness had a great smile. He seemed to be successful with it.

For me, I felt like I had no difficulty. Nearly everyday I spent with Ninten ended with pure happiness. It was mainly because...

* * *

"Clausy~" Ninten whispered.

I had realized how much I wandered off into the past. Ninten had just arrived into the room and landed next to me in our bed. He was pulling on the right side of my undershirt, appealing to me with his cuteness.

"Yeah, babe?" I replied.

"I need my usual~" he responded.

I chuckled. "Of course you do." I closed in on his lips and we began making out with each other. His tongue clashed with mine. When Ninten had enough, he grabbed my hand and placed it at a certain area on his body. I could feel Ninten getting stimulated like he wanted. He let out small whimpers as I continued my hand movements. I did my job as Ninten's lover, and pleased him for the night.

After the event, I kissed a sleeping Ninten's forehead and rested my hand on my stomach. It was always a work out, I thought, using my hand every night for him. I thought I should use other parts of my body, but we both wanted to wait until we were older.

So this was what I always did with Ninten. It would happen every night when Ninten wanted it. And I never reluctantly refused, I wanted to make Ninten happy.

If only he could return the favor, though. He was shy about wanting to touch other areas of my body.

This continued until mid-July. One midnight, I woke up during my slumber due to my need to relieve myself in the bathroom. I carefully slid out of bed to not wake Ninten, and headed out to one of the six bathrooms in the mansion.

I chose to use the one nearest to the recreation area, because it had an interior marble and glass design that was so fancy to all of us. It was large as well—it felt like having our own public bathroom. After leaving, I heard careful, light footsteps from afar. A burgular? No, the security alarm would have gone off. In fact, the pacing and applied force sounded familiar. The unknown figure neared me as the volume increased. The dim moonlight shone through the windows nearby to reveal a faint blonde head. Lucas was sleepily making his way back towards his room.

"Oh, h-hi Claus," he whispered sleepily.

"Hey," I whispered. "Bathroom?"

"Mm-hm." He made his way past me and used the bathroom. I waited outside by the door. I wanted to ask him something.

When Lucas exited, he grinned at the sight of me.

I began, "Did you tell Ness yet?"

"...No," he replied.

"...I see," I said. I turned away, looking deep into the darkened home.

"Did you tell Ninten yet?" Lucas asked.

"...I might soon," I said. "We both should soon, actually."

"...You're right," he agreed. "I'd think it'll hurt them more later than now."

"We still have about four weeks left," I stated. "Better make our last moments more enjoyable than now."

"Mm-hm." Lucas began walking off. "I'm going to head back to bed." He waved at me. "Good night," he whispered.

"G'night, bro," I responded. I began making my way back to my room, but I paused for a moment. Up ahead, I could see a very faint figure hiding behind the corner of the wall. It escaped before I could analyze it more, but I knew it was human-size. It had black hair too, because any other color would be obvious under the dim moonlight.

I think _he_ was listening.

I calmly headed back to my room and entered. I found Ninten peacefully sleeping under the blanket, his back facing me. I got back into bed, sitting up right.

I did a little test with him. "You're awake, aren't you?" I whispered. "I saw you eavesdropping."

He didn't react. I silently sighed and laid back down. However, Ninten turned over and wrapped an arm around me.

"...What did you mean, 'last moments'?" he whispered.

"...I thought so," I mumbled.

"...Clausy?"

I shut silent for a moment. Then, I sat up, bringing Ninten up as well and holding him tightly.

"...I'm moving," I said.

I could see Ninten's face turn into shock. "W-What?"

"...I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you sad." He said nothing. "...I guess it couldn't be avoided anyways."

"What do you mean...you're moving?" Ninten asked.

"...My dad got a new job, and apparently it pays a lot, enough to support Lucas and me for college after about a year's worth of payment."

Ninten still looked a little confused. "...So...?"

"...We're moving to Fourside."

"Fourside?!" he raised his voice slightly louder. "All the way to Fourside?!"

I nodded. We sat still like that. I was still wrapping my arm around him, making sure he doesn't lose comfort.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I don't want to leave you. But I can't really control this decision. And I think Lucas and I will really need the money for the future."

Ninten brushed my arm off. I was guilty at first, but then he crawled in front of me and embraced me with both of his arms, burying his head into my shoulder.

"Ninten?" I whispered.

"...I understand," he replied.

"...You do?"

He brought his head closer to mine and kissed me. He pulled away, "It's for the best, isn't it?" He said that with a grin.

"I guess..." I whispered.

"Besides, we'll see each other again, right?"

He was correct. I smiled, "Right. I promise you that." Ninten's grin grew bigger, and almost looked like he was going to cry. I kissed him again to prevented that.

I pulled back and hugged him again, as comfortably tight as possible. "I love you, Ninten."

"I love you too, Clausy." We kissed even more, enjoying it until it lasted.

Suddenly, Ninten gently pushed me down. He used both of his arms to place himself above me.

"So, I guess we gotta make the best of our last moments together, right?" he asked.

"...I guess, but what are you going to...?" I stopped speaking when I recognized why Ninten was in this position. Then, my face blushed. "You're gonna...?"

"I'd thought I finally return the favor," he happily said. "Is that okay, Clausy?"

I turned my head, trying to hide my shyness. "I-It's not that I don't want you to do it or anything...but, s-since you want to, I guess it's fine..."

Ninten giggled. He kissed me once more before he crawled backwards and pinched the waist of my boxers.

My legs shivered as a reaction. "Uh—um..." I nervously sounded.

"Just relax, Clausy. I know what I'm doing..." He pulled down my boxers and began his work.

* * *

At the end of the summer, it was time to say our farewell. Ness and I helped Dad and the few helper men move some heavy boxes into the transportation truck. When we found everything was packed, we were prepared to leave.

The friends we made during school—Kumatora, Duster, Travis, Jeff, Tony, Paula, Loid, Poo, Ana, and our recent high school friends came to say good-bye. Ness was finishing his last moments with Lucas.

I was still with Ninten, and I was holding him tightly. I wanted to take him with me, but I knew that wasn't possible. I felt like if I wasn't here for him, I couldn't protect him. I didn't want to leave him lonely.

But, Ninten kissed me one more time. "I'll be fine, Clausy. J-Just..." he sounded like he was about to cry. It almost tore my heart as well. "...Just text me everyday or something."

"Of course, I promise," I immediately said. We stared into each other's watering eyes for the last time. Then, we made our last kiss—making it as memorable as possible until we could be together again.

I turned away immediately got in the car, wiping my tears with my arm. I couldn't see his face again, it was painful now. Any longer and I probably would have broken down and demand I stay with Ninten or something. It was for my own good, I believe. I knew Ninten was thinking that as well.

When Lucas got in the car and shut the door, we began to move out. I heard Lucas' whimpering about his farewell. I couldn't stop crying either.

After a moment, however, I heard something that reassured me.

_**"I love you, Clausy!"**_

Lucas and I turned around to see Ninten and Ness running towards us for the last time, their faces completely painted with tears.

I reached out for Ninten with my hand. He only grew farther away from me.

_Why...why did I agree to this?_

...I slumped back down into my seat, slapping my continuous tears. They didn't stop. I just wrapped myself around my knees, hoping this journey would be over already.

...Then I remembered I had to survive. Not just for my sake, but for his sake as well. I promised him I would see him again, and I would make sure of that.

I tried to smile for the future. I looked forward for the future where I would be reunited with that one boy.

_"...I love you, Ninten."_

* * *

**Lenne:** I'm so good with these kinds of endings. Cheesy? Maybe. Sweet? I guess. Did I make you cry? Mission accomplished—*gets shot*

Well, anyways, now it's time to officially work on RWTOB and RWTOBT. Since this is May, however, I'm quite busy for now, due to school stuff if you've read my profile. In the summer, however, I should get more free time. So let's just see.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed! Don'tkillmebecauseImadeyoucryplease


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